ORIGINAL: Soilarch
What things would I HAVE to buy to get started with this? A Mold and pourer or dipper are given. Ignot (sp?) molds, heat sources, melting pots, the metal/lead itself...all these can be "po-boyed" fairly easy I think.
I started out with a single electric burner , 1 quart cast iron pan ( both from a gardge sale )
A single burner Colman stove works great
Ingot moulds are still muffin tins , NOT your wifes !!!! , again gardge sales or junk shop
Wheel weights are great
Bullet lube would have to be purchased, correct?
Yep
Lee Liquid Alox is a great lube for the starter , I still use it after 20+ years of casting
And what exactly are top punches?
They are used in abullet sizer to push the bullet into a sizer die .
They are made to fit a bulletsnose to not deform it .
Are sizing presses necassary?
Notrealy .
Lee makes a push thru sizer , that looks like a reloading die .
Works just fine and a lot cheaper .
But I have 2 sizers mounted on the bench also
And how in the world can a mold have a "break-in" period?
A iron mould is like a good cast iron pan
But a brass or Alumin mould just needs to be cleaned , debured
Then treated well , it will then give you many years of good bullets to shoot
Are there custom mold makers and what would that cost?
A custom mould will cost you from $60 for 1 from a group buy
I am running 1 on Cast Boolits for a .360 220 gr bullet
There are also several others being run by other guys
To $100 +
But most of the time I run standard Lee , Lyman and RCBS moulds starting at $15 to $60
Do guys who cast their own really save any money? I suspect its like a labor of love.
I get bullets that fit my barrel and are more accurate
As for saving $$ , I plead the 5th
I would stop in at
http://castboolits.gunloads.com
Great group of guys , I am Johnch there also
More info there than I could type in a month
The guys are great in helping the first timers .
If nothing else , just lurk and read
Johnch